


Something Old

by MoonlitMusings



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: M/M, Spoilers for Lesson Learned Part 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 20:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10997976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitMusings/pseuds/MoonlitMusings
Summary: Peter finds something from Juno's past that surprises him. Juno tells him about it.





	Something Old

**Author's Note:**

> I know we're all desperate to hear the story behind Juno's old wedding gown, and when typehere brought up the idea of Peter finding said gown, well, I decided to make up a story for it myself.

"... Juno?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this...?"

"Is what, what? I don't see what you're looking at." He walked into the bedroom and Peter pulled a partially unzipped dress bag out of the closet, his expression both concerned and questioning. "Oh. That."

"Is this... a wedding dress?"

"Nah, just a little sundress I like to wear around from time to time." Peter gave him a look.

"Juno-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's a wedding dress."

"...Is it-"

"Mine? Well I'm not holding onto it for a friend." Peter didn't quite know what to say. It was clear Juno didn't want to talk about it but, well, it seemed like something important to know.

"I... were you..."

"Gonna get married?" Juno turned away slightly, crossing his arms. "Not exactly something you buy for fun, is it?” They stood there for a minute, Peter carefully considering what to say next. He didn't want to push too hard, but he also wanted to show he wasn't upset, just curious. Maybe a little concerned, if only for Juno's sake. He laid the dress gently on the bed, and turned to Juno, tentatively laying a gentle hand on his arm.

"Care to tell me about it?" he asked softly. There was a long moment of silence. Peter held his breath as he waited for a response. Finally, Juno spoke.

"I... there's not much to tell, really."

"No?" Juno shrugged.

"I was going to get married, and I didn't. It... it wasn't a great day. For anyone, really, looking back on it." He let out a sad, sardonic laugh. "I mean, I should've seen it coming, really. Only fair that someone should ruin my marriage after I ruined someone else's. Kinda wish they hadn't gotten caught the day of, but, better then than after the whole thing was a done deal, I guess. Breaking off an engagement's a lot less messy than a divorce." It took Peter a moment to process what he'd just heard.

"They cheated on you."

"Yup. Had been for a couple months, as it turned out. You'd think being a detective I would've caught on but..." He shrugged again, turning to look at the dress. "I don't know why I kept it all these years. Just, never got around to selling it I guess." Peter looked at it too, taking a moment to admire the intricate lace of the illusion neckline.

"It's lovely," he said.

"It is. Looked great on me."

"I'm sure it did." Peter took a moment to imagine it, Juno in that dress, the white contrasting beautifully against his skin, a bouquet of flowers in his hands (and if those flowers were dahlias and roses in his mind, well, that was merely a coincidence), a soft smile on his face and his eyes bright... The thought made his heart skip a beat, and he couldn't help but think he wouldn't mind seeing Juno like that outside of his head. Peter hazarded stepping closer, wrapping his arms around Juno from behind and placing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. He was relieved when Juno leaned back against him slightly. "Well I have to say, love, anyone willing to give you up, and to do something like that to you, probably wasn't worth spending the rest of your life with, anyway."

"Eh, they were a good enough guy. So was the guy they hooked up with, for that matter. They're still together, actually, last I heard. They were... well..." Peter was shocked Juno was opening up this much. He was afraid to push too much, but he also wanted to hear more.

"They were...?" Juno sighed, and moved out of his arms to sit on the edge of the bed. Peter followed, sitting next to him.

"You really want to hear about this?"

"Only if you feel comfortable telling me, darling." Juno sighed again, fingers twitching and fidgeting in his lap as he stared at them.

"They were... actually, they kind of reminded me of you, in a way. Big personality. Smart, charming, the kind of person that just draws you in. And, well, for some reason, they were drawn back. We were both pretty young. Both full of bad decisions. Like I said, I really should've seen it coming, looking back."

"Hindsight is always 20/20."

"Yeah, but like I said, as much of a mystery as it was why they liked me enough to date me, let alone propose, even without that I was due for something like that to happen."

"You... did mention something about that a minute ago." Juno was silent for a minute.

"I ever tell you about the worst case I ever took?"

"I... don't believe so, no," Peter replied, tentatively.

"One of the first cases I ever took. A friend asked me to prove her husband was cheating on her... and I did. You know what the easiest way to catch a cheater is, Peter?"

"I... have an idea."

"It's to be the one in bed with him.” Juno was silent for a moment, the words hanging heavy in the air. “Like I said. Only fair really, that someone should do to me what I did to her." Peter laid a hand on his shoulder.

"No one deserves that, Juno."

"You can say that all you want, Peter, but that doesn't make it true." He sighed again. "But there you have it, that's the story. I fell for someone in my 20s, they proposed, I said yes, I found out about their affair on our wedding day, and while I gave back the ring, I never bothered to get rid of the dress." Juno stared at it, an odd look in his eyes. Not sad, necessarily, but nostalgic. The kind of look one gets when thinking about a what-if that never came to pass, and one isn't sure they really wanted it to. Peter knew the feeling well. He let the hand resting on Juno's shoulder slip around to the other one, pulling him in and placing another kiss on his head.

"I'm sorry, love."

"Eh, it's like I said. Better I found out then rather than later." There was a pause, and Juno swallowed. "Besides, I think things turned out alright. Better, even." Peter couldn't help the smile that formed at the words.

"I certainly have no complaints." They sat like that for a while in silence, letting everything sink in. Finally, Peter spoke again. "Thank you for telling me," he said quietly.

"Yeah."

"... Care to go get something to eat?"

"... Yeah, sure. Why not?" While Juno went to put on his shoes, Peter carefully zipped up the dress bag and put it in the back of the closet where he had found it. Perhaps that particular dress wouldn't get any more use, but he thought back to his mental image from earlier, Juno looking breathtaking, walking towards him down the aisle, and he couldn't help but think that Juno having the chance to buy a second one might be a possibility. If Juno didn't want to of course, that was fine. Peter couldn't blame him. And there would certainly be complications, given that he couldn't marry under his own name, as things were. But, well, it was a nice thought. One to be revisited at a later date. Or, at the very least, after a relaxing lunch with his dear detective.


End file.
